Ascent of Camels Hump on 2014-01-25

Ascent Trip Report

Much of the Monroe Trail is an easy walk through hardwood forest, with gentle inclines, and a few bridged stream crossings. Once I neared the summit, I branched off on the Alpine Trail South (a.k.a. the Bad Weather Bypass, appropriate for today), which provides a steeper ascent, but with reduced distance above treeline. After a half mile, the bypass route meets the Long Trail a few tenths of a mile south of the summit. From there, the route is above treeline, and today it was exposed to the intense winds. I had to crawl a bit to reach the top of the summit cone, as I couldn't stand up without being pushed over. There were no views under heavy cloud-cover on this snowy day. I retreated after a one minute rest at the top, carefully making my way back down. Once below the treeline, I enjoyed a much calmer woods walk back to the trailhead.

The round trip distance was a little over seven miles. On a sunny day with calm winds, this route would be fairly easy, with some light scrambling required above treeline, and maybe at a few points at lower elevations. The fierce, cold winds above treeline today added to the challenge, so that should be a consideration when hiking Camel's Hump in bad weather.